Yesterday, 18 September, Minister of Women, Family, and Community Development Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail urged the public to be "empathetic" towards the Kelantanese family involved in the latest child marriage case

"I do have a problem with child marriages but I understand the predicament they (the Kelantanese family) are in," the Deputy Prime Minister was quoted as saying by Malay Mail.

"If you understand the way they live, their way of life, you would have a little bit of understanding of why it (child marriage) happens," she added.

Cenbet vice-president Ng Yeen Seen was reported by Free Malaysia Today as saying that inaction by the government will only empower pedophiles in Malaysia.

"If we can allow parents to decide for their underage child and marry them away due to whatever justification, then what difference is there for us to also allow an regulate parents to marry off their babies to pedophiles?" she asked.

"If we have laws in the country to punish irresponsible parents who abuse their child of any age physically, why are we allowing parents to subject their young defenceless child to rape by marriage?" Ng added.﻿

Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) called Wan Azizah's statement on the case a "license" to pedophiles in Malaysia to use marriage as a cover to dodge prosecution

LFL executive director Latheefa Koya joined in the criticism of Putrajaya's inaction over child marriages in Malaysia, claiming that pedophiles are now using marriage as a cover to avoid being prosecuted for rape or sexual grooming.

"This response from the DPM (Wan Azizah) will be a license for pedophiles around the country to groom, persuade, or coerce children into marriage for the purpose of having sexual intercourse with them," Latheefa was quoted as saying by Free Malaysia Today.